Packaging device and method for shipping furniture

ABSTRACT

A method for shipping a piece of furniture having a back section secured to a seat section that involves the steps of: (a) removing the back portion from the furniture; (b) placing at least one protective shipping sleeve over an edge portion of the back section; and (c) inserting the back section with the at least one sleeve and the seat section into a shipping container. A packaging apparatus suitable for overnight delivery which includes a shipping container and at least one shipping sleeve capable of receiving an edge portion of the back section of the furniture with the at least one shipping sleeve postioinable within the shipping container to abut a side wall of the shipping container is also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates generally to the shipment of goods and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for packaging goods for overnight delivery.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] In any retail business one of the factors that effects the purchase price charged to the consumer is the shipping or distribution cost. This cost which varies depending upon, among other things, the method of transportation used and the speed of delivery can have an impact not only on the purchase price but also on the ability to make the sale and the degree of customer satisfaction.

[0003] In the era of “just-in-time” inventory and delivery, it has become imperative that goods be shipped as quickly and economically as possible. This has resulted in a highly competitive overnight delivery industry that allows retailers to deliver goods to the consumer in one or two days.

[0004] A limitation imposed by overnight delivery companies, however, involves the size of the containers in which goods can be shipped overnight. This size constraint, although necessary to allow container handling by one person, creates a problem for sellers of goods such as furniture that do not fit in a container that satisfies the requirements for overnight delivery. Therefore, a packaging method and apparatus that would allow shippers of goods such as furniture to take advantage of the cost savings and customer satisfaction generated by being able to ship overnight would be an important improvement in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] An object of this invention involves a method for shipping a piece of furniture having a back section secured to a seat section. The method is comprised of the steps of: (a) removing the back section from the seat section; (b) placing at least one protective shipping sleeve over an edge portion of the back section; and (c) inserting the back section with the at least one sleeve and the seat section into a shipping container.

[0006] Another object of this invention also involves a packaging apparatus for packing a piece of furniture having a back section removable from a seat section. This packaging apparatus is comprised of a shipping container and at least one shipping sleeve capable of receiving an edge of the back section where the shipping sleeve is capable of being positioned within the shipping container so as to abut and support at least one sidewall of the shipping container.

[0007] A further object of the invention is to provide a new method and apparatus for packaging and shipping furniture that overcomes some of the problems and shortcomings of the prior art.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a new method and apparatus for packaging and shipping furniture that allows the furniture to be shipped via an overnight delivery service. How these and other objects are accomplished will become apparent from the following descriptions and from the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a piece of furniture used in one embodiment of the invention with the back section removed from the seat section;

[0010]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the furniture shown in FIG. 1 with the back section removed from the seat section and shipping sleeves aligned for positioning over opposing edge portions of the back section in which one shipping sleeve is partially cut-away;

[0011]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the furniture shown in FIG. 1 with the back section removed from the seat section and shipping sleeves engaged over opposing edge portions of the back section along with a partial cut-away view of the seat section wrapped in a protective wrap;

[0012]FIG. 4 is a perspective partial cut-away view showing the furniture shown in FIG. 3 packaged in a protective bag within the shipping container;

[0013]FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a shipping sleeve;

[0014]FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second piece of furniture used in another embodiment of the invention showing the back section removed from the seat section;

[0015]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the furniture shown in FIG. 6 showing the back section removed from the seat section and shipping sleeves aligned for positioning over opposing edge portions of the back section;

[0016]FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the furniture shown in FIG. 7 with the shipping sleeves engaged over the opposing edge portions of the back section; and

[0017]FIG. 9 is a schematic of the shipping container showing the furniture shown in FIG. 8 positioned in the shipping container with the shipping sleeves abutting the opposing sidewalls.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] As shown in FIGS. 1-9, the invention involves a method and an apparatus for shipping a piece of furniture 10 having a back section 12 removably secured to a seat section 14. The method is comprised of the steps of: (a) removing the back section 12 from the seat section 14; (b) placing at least one protective shipping sleeve 16 over an edge portion 18 of the back section 12; and (c) inserting the back section 12 with the least one shipping sleeve 16 and the seat section 14 into a shipping container 20.

[0019] In one embodiment of the invention, the furniture 10 is a chair, however, any suitable piece of furniture could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0020] In practicing the invention, the back section 12 of the furniture 10 is removed using appropriate tools such as an Allen wrench or the like. Once removed, at least one protective shipping sleeve 16 is placed over the edge 18 of the back section 12. In one embodiment, the shipping sleeve 16 measures 25.5 inches wide by 7 inches deep by 2 inches high, however, the invention does not preclude the use of sleeves 16 of other dimensions. The shipping sleeves 16 are preferably made out of perforated single wall 275 psi corrugated cardboard, however, other suitable materials such as Styrofoam® may also be used.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the furniture 10 may be wrapped in protective material 22 prior to being inserted into the shipping carton 20. This material may be placed around all adjustment knobs 24, arms (not shown) and back frame uprights 26, to prevent them from scraping against the back section 12 when it is positioned on top of them. The protective covering 22 may be constructed of bubble wrap or other suitable material. In a more specific version of this embodiment, the back section 12 is not covered in the protective wrap 22. Seat section 14 which is wrapped or covered and back section 12 are enclosed in a bag 28, as shown in FIG. 4, prior to insertion into the container 20.

[0022] Furniture 10 includes accessory parts 30, as seen in FIG. 1, which are necessary for reassembly. These parts, which may include attachment screws for the back section 12 as well as assembly tools, are attached to the furniture 10. In a specific version of such embodiment the accessory parts 30 are secured in a bag 32 which is attached to the furniture 10 in any suitable manner including, for example, by securing the bag 32 to the furniture 10 with tape 33. Such accessory parts 30 may be attached to any of the packaging material, including the shipping sleeves 16, as shown in FIG. 4 without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0023] In another embodiment of furniture 10, arms (not shown) are connected to the seat section 14, and the back section 12 when removed may be positioned to overlie the arms. Moreover, the back section 12, when removed from the seat section 14, may be nested between the arms and overlie seat section 14.

[0024] Furniture 10 is shipped via an overnight delivery service. In such embodiment, the shipping container 20 may have outside dimensions of 26 inches in width, 26 inches in depth, and 25 inches in height, however, other dimensions suitable for overnight delivery may also be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[0025] For purposes of this invention, an overnight delivery container 20 is defined as a container having a DIM measurement of 130 inches or less. The DIM measurement is calculated by adding the length of the four sides of a container 20 to its height. In the above example, the DIM would be 129 inches (i.e., 26+26+26+26+25). The container 20 made be made of any suitable material, including a regular slotted, 500 lb double wall corrugated container.

[0026] The invention, at least one of the shipping sleeves 16 supports at least one sidewall 34 of the shipping container 20, as seen in FIGS. 4 and 9. In a more specific version of this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2-4 and 7-9, more than one shipping sleeve 16 is used, and each shipping sleeve 16 supports at least one sidewall 34 of the shipping container 20. Such shipping sleeve 16 can be made of any suitable packaging material as stated above including, for example, corrugated cardboard or Styrofoam®.

[0027] Shipping sleeve 16, as seen in more detail in FIGS. 2 and 5, may be constructed to take on a generally rectangular shape having top and bottom wall members 17, sidewall members 19, and at least one opening 21 for receiving an edge portion 18 of back section 12. The sleeve 16 is a structure which encases or contacts at least a portion of the edge 18 of the back section 12. The sleeve 16 is positionable between a sidewall 34 of the container 20 and the edge 18 and provides a surface for abutting the sidewall 34 of the container 20. It should be well understood that sleeve 16 can take on many shapes that will satisfy the requirements of the present invention including a U-shaped construction having multiple side openings. Such a U-shaped sleeve 16 would be wrapped around an edge portion 18 of the back section 12.

[0028] The insertion of the furniture 10 into the shipping container 20 includes a, positioning at least one shipping sleeve 16 to abut opposing sidewalls 34 of the container 20. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, shipping sleeve 16, when positioned within the shipping container 20, has sidewall members 19 positioned to abut at least one sidewall 34 of container 20 so as to support the sidewalls 34.

[0029] The insertion of the furniture 10 into the shipping container 20 may, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 7 and 8 also involve positioning two shipping sleeves 16 such that a first sleeve 16 is placed over the edge portion 18 of the back section 12 and a second sleeve 16 is placed over an opposing edge portion 18 of the back section 12. Insertion of the furniture 10 into the container 20 may, as shown in FIG. 4, also include abutting the first shipping sleeve 16 against a first sidewall 35 of the container 20 adjacent an edge of the back section 18, and abutting the second shipping sleeve 16 against an opposing second sidewall 35 of the container 20, where the second sidewall 35 of the container 20 is adjacent an opposing edge 18 of the back section 12 thereby providing support to sidewalls 35.

[0030]FIG. 3 shows the inventive method in which a first protective shipping sleeve 16 and a second protective shipping sleeve 16 are placed on a first and second edge portion 18 of the back section 12, respectively. All of furniture 10, except for the back section 12, is covered in a protective wrap 22 and the back section 12 is positioned so as to overlie seat section 14, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4. Once this is accomplished, all of the furniture 10 including the back section 12 is enclosed in protective bag 28, and the protective bag 28 is placed in a shipping container 20, as seen in FIG. 4, in such a manner that each of the protective shipping sleeves 16 abut at least one sidewall 34 of the shipping container 20.

[0031] In still another embodiment of the invention, the back section 12 of the furniture 10 is positioned between the seat section 14 and a sidewall 34 of the packaging container 20, as shown in FIG. 9. In this embodiment, sidewall members 19 of shipping sleeves 16 abut opposing sidewalls 34 of container 20 thereby providing additional support to container 20. Furthermore, it is also possible to position sleeves 16 so as to allow sleeve 16 to abut sidewall 35 while seat section 14 abuts opposing sidewall 35 of container 20, thereby providing support to the sidewalls 35.

[0032] The invention also involves a packaging apparatus for packing a piece of furniture 10 having a back section 12 removable from a seat section 14. The above description of the packaging used with the inventive method is herein incorporated in the description of the packaging apparatus. The packaging apparatus is comprised of shipping container 20 and at least one shipping sleeve 16 capable of receiving an edge portion 18 of the back section 12 of the furniture 10, whereby the shipping sleeve 16 abuts a sidewall 34 of the shipping container 20.

[0033] At least two shipping sleeves 16 may be placed on the edge portion 18 of the back section 12 and each of these shipping sleeves 16 abuts at least one sidewall 34 of the shipping container 20. Such shipping sleeves 16 may be made of any suitable packaging material including, for example, corrugated cardboard or Styrofoam®.

[0034] Furthermore, at least a portion of one shipping sleeve 16 abuts at least one sidewall 34 of the shipping container 20 when the sleeve 16 is positioned within the shipping container 20. Additionally, the shipping sleeve 16 may abut opposing sidewalls 34 of the shipping container 20.

[0035] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 9, the packaging apparatus may also have a first and second shipping sleeve 16 in which the first shipping sleeve 16 is positionable over the edge portion 18 of the back section 12 and the second shipping sleeve 16 is positionable over an opposing edge 18 of the back section 12. In the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the first sleeve 16 abuts a sidewall 35 of the container 20 adjacent an edge 18 of the back section 12 and the second sleeve 16 abuts a second sidewall 35 of the container 20 where the second sidewall 34 is adjacent the opposing edge 18 of the back section 20, thereby supporting sidewalls of container 20.

[0036] The shipping container 20 which is part of the packaging apparatus, is suitable for use by an overnight delivery service. The discussions with regard to the dimensions and dimension restrictions associated with container 20 have been set forth above.

[0037] While a detailed description of various embodiments of the invention have been given, it should be appreciated that many variations can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. 

What is claimed:
 1. A method for shipping a piece of furniture having a back section secured to a seat section, the method comprising the steps of: removing the back section from the seat section; placing at least one protective shipping sleeve over an edge portion of the back section; and inserting the back section with the at least one sleeve and the seat section into a shipping container.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the furniture is a chair.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of covering at least a portion of the furniture with a protective material.
 4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of covering includes providing the protective material constructed of a bubble wrap.
 5. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of covering includes placing protective material around the seat section.
 6. The method of claim 3 further comprising the step of enclosing the covered furniture in a bag prior to the step of inserting.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of securing accessory parts of the furniture to the furniture.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising placing the accessory parts in to a bag.
 9. The method of claim 8 further comprising the step of taping the bag to the furniture.
 10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of securing the accessory parts to the shipping sleeve.
 11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of positioning the back section to overlie the seat section.
 12. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of placing the back section to overlie arms which are connected to the seat section.
 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step of nesting the back section between the arms.
 14. The method of claim 1 further providing the shipping container having outside dimensions of approximately 26 inches in width, 26 inches in depth, and 25 inches in height.
 15. The method of claim 1 further providing the shipping container having a DIM of no greater than 130 inches.
 16. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of shipping the furniture within the container via overnight delivery.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of inserting further includes the step of positioning a portion of the at least one sleeve to abut at least one sidewall of the shipping container.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of inserting includes positioning the at least one shipping sleeve to abut opposing sidewalls of the shipping container.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of placing includes positioning two shipping sleeves such that a first sleeve is placed over the edge portion of the back section and a second sleeve is placed over an opposing edge portion of the back section.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the step of inserting further comprises: abutting the first shipping sleeve against a first sidewall of the container adjacent an edge of the back section; and abutting the second shipping sleeve against an opposing second sidewall of the container, where the second sidewall of the container is adjacent an opposing edge of the back section.
 21. The method of claim 1 comprising the further the step of providing the at least one shipping sleeve constructed of corrugated cardboard.
 22. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: placing a first protective shipping sleeve and a second protective shipping sleeve over the edge portion of the back section and an opposing edge portion of the back section, respectively; wrapping the seat section in a protective material; positioning the back section to overlie the seat section; placing the back and seat section within a protective bag; and positioning the protective bag into a shipping container with the first and second protective shipping sleeves each abutting at least one sidewall of the shipping container.
 23. The method of claim 1 in which the step of inserting includes positioning the back section between the seat section and a sidewall of the shipping container.
 24. A packaging apparatus for packaging a piece of furniture having a back section removable from a seat section, the packaging apparatus comprised of: a shipping container; and at least one shipping sleeve capable of receiving an edge portion of the back section of the furniture, the at least one shipping sleeve positionable within the shipping container to abut a sidewall of the shipping container.
 25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein at least a portion of the at least one shipping sleeve abuts at least one sidewall of the shipping container with the at least one sleeve positioned within the shipping container.
 26. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the at least one shipping sleeve abuts opposing sidewalls of the shipping container.
 27. The apparatus of claim 24 further comprising a first and second shipping sleeve in which the first shipping sleeve is positionable over the edge portion of the back section and the second shipping sleeve is positionable over an opposing edge of the back section.
 28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the first sleeve abuts a sidewall of the container adjacent an edge of the back section and the second sleeve abuts a second sidewall of the container where the second sidewall is adjacent the opposing edge of the back section.
 29. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the at least one shipping sleeve is constructed of corrugated cardboard.
 30. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the shipping container has outside dimensions of approximately 26 inches in width, 26 inches in depth, and 25 inches in height.
 31. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the shipping container is suitable for use by an overnight delivery service.
 32. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the shipping container has outside dimensions of approximately 26 inches in width, 24 inches in depth, and 27 inches in height.
 33. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the DIM of the shipping container is no greater than 130 inches. 